watching, waiting, searching, living
by isaacswolfsbane
Summary: Charlie is four years old when he first learns about soulmates. He's twenty-five years old when he finally meets his. / CharlieTheo soulmate!au / Trigger Warning for a panic attack.


**QLFC Round 6 – Month by Month;  
** Arrows, Captain: December – Charlie Weasley.

 **AN:** One of the characters I mention, Tulip, is from the Hogwarts Mystery mobile game.

Thanks to Gabby for betaing :)

* * *

 **watching, waiting, searching, living**

Charlie is four years old when he first learns that your shadow is your soulmate. He doesn't understand at first, wondering how you can be in love with something that isn't human. His mum explains that it's the silhouette of the person that is your soulmate, but Charlie has stopped paying attention at that point.

"Why don't I have a shadow?" he asks, his voice full of pure worry that no four-year-old should ever have to deal with.

"They probably haven't been born yet," Molly tells him. "It's nothing to worry about."

Charlie nods and his attention is drawn back to his toy dragon, all thoughts of soulmates lost from his mind.

* * *

Charlie is seven years old when his shadow first appears. He doesn't notice at first — his mum is giving him a bath and he assumes it's her shadow that he sees. It's as he's getting dressed that he notices the shape of the baby on his bedroom floor. His t-shirt falls to the floor as Charlie, still completely naked, runs through the house to find his mum.

"Mum, Mum, look," he says, tugging on the part of her dress that has caught on the arm of the sofa.

Molly struggles to a more upright position — being heavily pregnant isn't any easier the fifth time than it was the previous four, even if this time pales in comparison to carrying twins — and has to stop herself from laughing at Charlie dancing around the shadow on the floor completely nude.

"I got my shadow!" he says emphatically when she's looking in the right direction.

"That's wonderful, Charlie," she says. She can't say anything more because it's at that moment that both Fred and George decide to start screaming and Molly has to hobble over to them.

Charlie doesn't understand why she isn't more excited and marches back to his room trying to throw a strop. It doesn't work. Charlie's too happy about having a shadow to put any real effort into the strop.

* * *

Charlie is thirteen years old when his best friend finds her soulmate. He and Tonks are sitting just inside the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the midday sun filtering through the trees, when she tells him — it's his favourite place to study because nobody comes close enough to the forest to bother them, and they're close enough to the edge that the creatures that live there don't either.

"I finally worked it out," Tonks says. Her parchment has a total of three words on it, and Charlie can sense that their study session is already over for the day.

"Worked what out?" he asks. "It can't be the homework because you've barely started your essay."

"My soulmate," she says. Charlie falls silent. "It's Tulip. You know, the girl in Ravenclaw that's friends with Merula."

Charlie can't help but laugh. "You're telling me we've had classes with her all this time and it's taken you nearly two full years to work it out?"

Tonks' cheeks go slightly pink. "Well, you know, we don't have many classes with the Ravenclaws and the only time I get close enough to those two is when I'm playing a prank on Merula or the other Slytherins she drags around with her."

"So how did you work it out?"

Tonks rubs the back of her neck. "Actually, I bumped into her, literally, and when she went flying, so did my shadow."

Charlie has to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing or taking the piss as she tells him about how Tulip already knew — "What other second year has hair like mine?" — and how she should have known herself because Tulip is the only person other than Charlie who could tolerate her pranks.

His resolve breaks at that point, and he spends the next ten minutes telling Tonks how he only tolerates her pranks because she forces herself on him and he hasn't made enough friends to escape her yet.

* * *

Charlie is seventeen when he first gives up on the idea of meeting his soulmate. He had hoped he'd misremembered the age he first got a shadow, had hoped that the boy Charlie was destined to be with would be starting Hogwarts this year. If that had been the case, Charlie would have at least had a glimpse of the boy he was destined to love. It wasn't.

As Charlie sits at the Gryffindor table waiting for the sorting to happen, his shadow is running around, obviously playing. None of the first years would be at ease enough to play, and Charlie resigns himself to the fact that he'll have left school by the time his soulmate starts.

After the sorting, Tonks comes to find him.

"Hey," she says, punching him lightly on the arm. "It's not so bad. So you'll have to wait a few years. It's probably better this way anyway; it would look a little creepy, a Seventh Year hanging around with a First Year."

Charlie shakes his head. "You don't get it, okay? I'm going to Romania when we graduate. This was my last chance to meet him."

Tulip walks over to give Tonks a kiss before they part ways for the night and Charlie takes that as he cue to leave. It's not that he doesn't like Tulip, it's just that seeing her relationship with Tonks every day gets a little grating when Charlie hasn't met his soulmate yet.

He mutters the new password when he reaches the portrait of the Fat Lady and clambers through, not stopping his movement until he's lying on his bed. He stares up at the red and gold of the curtains he's drawn to give the illusion of privacy as he tries to clear his head. It isn't until he notices the tear rolling down the side of his head that he realises just how much meeting his soulmate means to him.

Everything about him is average; his height, his build, his family. The only things that make him stand out physically are his orange hair and the abundance of freckles dusting his cheeks, and they're not going to show up in his shadow. Charlie doesn't envy whoever his soulmate is when they start looking for him because it's not going to be easy.

* * *

Charlie is twenty-five when he meets his soulmate for the first time. He starts to feel uncomfortable as the sun's rays beat down on him and he forces his eyes open. The Slytherin boy leaning over him lets out a little yelp in surprise and trips over a nearby body.

 _Why are there bodies?_

Still half asleep, Charlie sits up and takes in the scene around him. They are near the Greenhouses at Hogwarts and bodies are scattered across the floor. Wondering how it happened, Charlie checks himself over and notices a pipe sticking out of his leg.

"Well, that's going to hurt when the shock wears off," Charlie says.

He grips the pipe in his hands, ready to pull, when the boy gets back up and calls out in alarm.

"What are you doing?"

"Pulling the pipe out," Charlie tells him. "It's numb at the moment; I want to get rid of it before it starts to hurt."

"There's magic that could do that better," the boy says.

Charlie ignores him and starts pulling. The boy looks like he wants to protest, but after a second, he moves Charlie's hands and takes the pipe in his own.

"If anyone is going to do it, I don't think it should be you. I've got a better chance of doing it cleanly even if I'm not so sure about this."

"Just trust me," Charlie says through gritted teeth; the pain is beginning to set in. "Now, hurry up!"

"Are you cert—"

"Can we not do this right now?" Charlie asks, though it comes out as more of a demand.

"Right, right," the boy says before gritting his teeth and yanking the pipe out with all of his might.

Charlie swears, but before he can move the boy is on his knees and casting spells over Charlie's leg to heal it.

"Thanks," he says gruffly. Then, "I'm Charlie, by the way."

"Theo," the boy replies.

He doesn't offer to shake Charlie's hand or anything, instead focusing on healing. Charlie uses the time to take in Theo's appearance. He's tall, probably taller than Charlie, with dark hair, a pale complexion, and seafoam green eyes. Charlie can't help but marvel at how attractive he is.

"All done," Theo says. "Can't have you injured during a war now, can we?"

"War?" Charlie asks. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Charlie's memory starts to return. Then, he takes in the green and silver of Theo's robes and is overcome with worry. "Aren't you supposed to be on You-Know-Who's side?"

Theo rolls his eyes, and for some reason, the gesture calms Charlie as much as the words that follow do.

"Believe what you will, but not all of us are thrilled by the idea of the Dark Lord being in power."

Charlie moves to stand, and Theo is suddenly there helping him up. He's glad because although Theo healed his leg, it still hurts to stand on and he can feel a bruise forming.

"Have you seen my wand?" Charlie asks. Theo shakes his head. "Mind if I borrow yours?"

Theo hands his wand over, and Charlie shoots a quick numbing spell at his leg. It won't heal it, but it has saved Charlie's ass on more than one occasion after being hurt by dragons. Before passing it back to Theo, Charlie grabs a charred branch that has been blasted from a nearby tree and transforms it into a makeshift axe.

"I've gotta have some sort of weapon if I don't have a wand," Charlie explains when Theo shoots him a puzzled look.

The axe comes in handy when Charlie and Theo get cornered by three Death Eaters on the way into the castle. They're clearly not expecting Muggle weapons, and when Charlie swings the axe and accidentally chops off one Death Eater's arm, all of them are so distracted that they don't notice Charlie and Theo slip away.

It's as Charlie swings the axe that he notices Theo's shadow do the same thing.

* * *

Charlie is twenty-five the first time he kisses his soulmate. As the battle wages on and darkness descends on the castle, Charlie and Theo manage to slip away from it all for a brief moment of peace atop the Astronomy tower.

" _Stupefy_ ," Charlie says, stunning a Death Eater coming their way as they make their way through the castle.

The wand he's using isn't ideal — he found it on an unconscious body — but it's a wand and it will have to do. It's probably why the second numbing spell he's cast on his leg is already wearing off.

"Up here," he says, pulling Theo up the stairs to the Astronomy tower.

As he suspected, the place is deserted. Charlie starts to move to the edge of the tower — a habit from when he used to come up here to get a moment of peace while at school — but he doesn't want to see what's happening in the grounds below so he stops himself. Turning back towards Theo, he notices the other boy is still hovering in the doorway, an uneasy look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I, uh…" Theo gestures around him. "Not a fan of heights."

He isn't breathing properly, and Charlie is immediately by Theo's side wrapping him in a tight hug.

"I'm here; you're okay," Charlie says. "Tell me if this is too much."

Theo shakes his head, his breaths becoming more erratic the longer they stay there. Charlie lets go and guides Theo over to the wall, pulling him down into a sitting position.

"We're on the floor," Charlie says. "We're just sitting on the floor, nothing more."

It takes a few minutes, but eventually, Theo's breathing returns to normal. It hasn't escaped Charlie's notice that this has happened to his shadow a few times before, and he wonders if it had been during Theo's Astronomy classes.

When Charlie looks over at Theo's face, Theo is staring at the shadows, realisation dawning in his eyes.

"You're…?"

Charlie nods, his throat suddenly dry. He never thought he'd meet his soulmate, let alone calm him down from a panic attack. The revelation was unexpected, and Charlie isn't sure he even knows how to speak anymore.

Suddenly, Theo's lips are pressing against Charlie's and all he can think is how wonderful it feels. Then, he realises he should probably kiss back.

* * *

Charlie is twenty-five when his shadow disappears. He knows, as much as he might like to, that he can't sit in the Astronomy Tower kissing Theo all night. So they leave. They leave the safety of the tower and rejoin the battle.

He's looking for his family when it happens. He ran into Luna Lovegood who said she had seen Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny heading towards the Great Hall, so Charlie and Theo change their route and make a beeline for the front of the castle. The front of the castle, however, is where most of the fighting is going on. The Entrance Hall is filled with flashes of light and bodies, both living and dead. Theo and Charlie jump into a fight with a pair of Death Eaters who are fighting a solo Hufflepuff boy.

"Theodore!" someone roars, and Theo freezes.

A Death Eater is storming their way, and Charlie hears Theo mutter, "Father?"

Before the Death Eater reaches them, his wand is pointing at Theo.

"Traitor!" he yells. "You are a traitor to the family, Theodore Nott, and you know how we deal with traitors. _Avada Kedavra._ "

The spell has left the Death Eater's lips and the green light has hit Theo square in the chest before either of them have a chance to react.

" _Crucio!_ " Charlie yells, shooting the Unforgivable at Theo's father.

He doesn't notice his shadow fade out of existence, doesn't hear Theo's last words to him, doesn't hear Theo say how happy he was to meet Charlie before he died. Charlie is consumed by rage and intent on making Theo's father pay for what he did to his son.

* * *

 **Word Count:** 2,393.

* * *

 **This is for:**

 _ **Hogwarts Assignment One – Mythology;  
**_ _Task 2 – Write a story that takes place partially during the day and partially during the night_

 _ **Hogwarts Yearly Event – Insane House Challenge;  
**_ _537\. (plot point) an introduction_

 _ **Hogwarts Yearly Event – 365 Prompts;  
**_ _124\. (event) first meet_

 _ **Hogwarts Seasonal Event – Days of the Year;  
**_ _Skyscraper Day – Write about someone afraid of heights_

 _ **Hogwarts Seasonal Event – Fire Element;  
**_ _(word) Charred_

 _ **Hogwarts Seasonal Event – Shay's Musical Challenge;  
**_ _Hair – Write about someone having to fight in a war_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Character Appreciation;  
**_ _19\. (era) Trio_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Cookie's Crafty Corner;  
**_ _Cast On – Write about characters meeting for the first time_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Showtime;  
**_ _13\. (colour) Gold_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Amber's Attic;  
**_ _T2 – Write about someone important to your main character_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Count Your Buttons;  
**_ _D5 – "You don't get it, okay?"  
W3 – Freckles_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Lyric Alley;  
**_ _12\. I am brave, I am bruised_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Ami's Audio Admirations;  
**_ _3\. Write about someone average or someone who feels that they are average_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Em's Emporium;  
**_ _16\. Write about a character who makes you smile_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Angel's Arcade;  
**_ _Quan Chi – (word) darkness, (colour) emerald green, (dialogue) "Believe what you will."_

 _ **Hogwarts Writing Club – Bex's Bazaar;  
**_ _O2 – Write about either of the wars_

 _ **Hogwarts August Event – Sophie's Tearoom;  
**_ _Salted Caramel Green Tea – (colour) seafoam green_

 _ **Hogwarts August Event – Romance Awareness;  
**_ _August 1st – The outline of your shadow is your soulmate_

 _ **Hogwarts August Event – Auction;  
**_ _Soulmate!au_

 _ **Hogwarts August Event – Dragon Breeding Club;  
**_ _Swedish Short-Snout (Peter) – (word count) 2,393_

 _ **Hogwarts August Event – Gobstones;  
**_ _Red Stone – Good vs Evil  
Accuracy – (word) freckle  
Power – (dialogue) "You don't get it, okay?  
Technique – (relationship) mother_

 _ **Hogwarts Fortnightly Event**_ _ **– Amazing Women;  
** 6\. (relationship) mother_

 _ **Hogwarts Fortnightly Event – Chocolate Challenge;  
**_ _Bittersweet – Write a fic with a bittersweet ending_

 _ **Hogwarts Chocolate Frog Cards Club;  
**_ _(bronze) Wainscott – Write about dealing with/being one of the injured at the Battle of Hogwarts_

 _ **Camp Potter – Giant Jenga;  
**_ _1C – (scenario) Your character wakes up injured and surrounded by bodies with no memory of how they got there_

 _ **Camp Potter – Fishing Pond;  
**_ _Rod – (word) injured  
Line – (dialogue) "Can we not do this right now?"  
Hook – (colour) silver_

 ** _Camp Potter_** _ **– Ice Cream Making Station;  
**_ _Cake Cone_ _– (character) Molly Weasley_

 _ **Harry Potter Hunger Games;  
**_ _(word) unexpected, (dialogue) "I'm not so sure about this." / "Just trust me.", (setting) The Forbidden Forest, (au) soulmates, (weapon) axe_


End file.
